A Subtle Thread
by Selina K
Summary: A quiet moment between two friends the night before the trip to Hira'a.


Zuko thought that he'd managed to do it this time: shake his personal guard and find some corner of the palace where he could brood and drink in peace. But he should've known better than to assume that Suki wouldn't discover his little deception (in retrospect pillows stuffed underneath a blanket was a completely amateur move). So when she flopped down next to him on the roof, her weight dislodging some of the loose tiles and sending them crashing to the courtyard below, it was somewhat expected.

She simply gazed at him, silent and disapproving. What followed was a battle of wills, one that Zuko lost when he began to nervously fidget. "You should be sleeping," she said in a mildly scolding tone.

"And…and…you deserted your post," he shot back lamely.

Unfazed by his accusation, Suki simply gave him a cheeky salute. "Had to. It's my job to be at your side, even when you don't want me around."

"That's not true," he countered. "I do want you around." Zuko felt a warm flush begin to spread across the back of his neck toward his ears. Embarrassed at the thought of being so transparent, he hastily added, "I- I mean, having the Kyoshi Warriors here is a great honor—"

Suki swatted his shoulders in a playful manner. "I'm just joking, Zuko. Relax." Her grin faded when she saw the object in his hand. "And what's that?" she asked, brows coming together in a frown.

He glanced down at the plain earthenware jug. "It's just rice wine. A gift from the mayor of Yu Dao. Thought I might try it out—hey!" he exclaimed as she deftly extricated it from his grip.

"You know the rules. You can't eat or drink anything until we've checked it for poisons."

He tried to protest. "But—"

She uncorked the jug and quickly brought it to her lips. After one gulp Suki immediately started coughing loudly, thumping her fist against her chest. In a panic and fearing that the wine had indeed been poisoned, Zuko immediately reached for her but she waved him off.

"Wow," she gasped after she finally caught her breath. "This is some strong stuff. Wasn't expecting that." She tilted her head to the side, face screwed up in concentration as they waited for something to happen. After a few seconds she triumphantly gave him a thumbs up. "It's fine." Shaking the jug lightly, she mused, "I'm going to have to remember this for Oyaji," before suddenly tossing it back to him. Taken by surprise, he had to scramble to catch the jug before it fell off the roof.

"You can't do that!" he declared heatedly. "What if you'd been hurt? Or…" Guilt and fear squeezed around his chest like thick bands of iron at the thought of the other possible outcome. His heartbeat pounding in his ears, Zuko ducked his head, not wanting to reveal himself again.

A gentle touch on his arm made him look up. The warmth of her gaze was enough to loosen the tightness around his chest. "You know why we have to do this," she insisted. "Too many people want you dead. We can't afford to make mistakes about your safety."

He sighed heavily. He was well aware of the threats against him, even if he was frequently dismissive of the seriousness of the problem. "I still don't like it. No one should get hurt because of me."

Suki rolled her eyes, clearly exasperated with him. "Look, the Fire Nation needs a leader like you. Someone who wants peace, who understands the terrible cost of war. And we're more than willing to do all we can to protect you."

The sincerity of her declaration stunned him, stirring up emotions inside him that he couldn't quite identify. As a distraction, he lifted the jug to his lips to take a sip. The wine was less refined than what was usually served at royal functions, but he found that he didn't mind it at all.

The company he was in certainly made it a better experience in any case.

He'd taken another sip when he happened to catch Suki staring at him intently. "What? Did I spill wine on myself?"

Her eyes fell on the jug. "So this is where I usually tell people that drinking away your problems is a bad habit to get into. But, I guess you earned this one." Her expression turned serious. "I don't like that you're taking Azula with you tomorrow," she said softly.

Zuko had been over this with Aang already. He had his reasons for bringing his sister along. "I'm not completely naïve. I know it's risky. She's going to try to escape, no doubt about it. But this is the only way we'll find our mother. It would be foolish of me to turn down her help because of what she's done to me in the past—"

"Like trying to kill you?"

He sighed. "I know it sounds really crazy. But it doesn't matter that she's been like that all my life. I'm hoping that maybe this trip could turn things around for our relationship." At the skeptical look she gave him he added, "I realize that the chance of that happening is smaller than a bee moth but…" He turned the jug over in his hand. "I have to try, you know? For me and for Azula."

Suki stared at him silently before nodding. "I admit that I don't quite understand why you have to bring her along, but if you think that's what you need to do, then you should go ahead and do it."

His jaw dropped open. Zuko had been ready for her to try and convince him to change his mind like everyone else. "That's…all you're going to say? You're not going to tell me that I'm making a huge mistake?"

She shrugged. "You have your reasons, and if you think they're good, then they're good enough for me." With a loud yawn she got to her feet, hands smoothing down the wrinkles in her uniform. She turned to him and with a smile held out her hand. "C'mon. You'll want a good night's sleep before the trip. You won't be able to handle Azula if you're exhausted."

Zuko clasped her hand tight in his as he stood up. "Yeah, you're right," he agreed, feeling more at peace with himself than he'd been in the past few weeks. He was more convinced than ever that this was the right course of action. "I just hope that my uncle won't have to deal with any major problems while we're gone."

"Don't worry about it. He's got this," she reassured him. "And there's us, of course."

"Of course," Zuko echoed her words, then chuckled softly. "What would I do without you?"

Suki only winked at him. "It's really quite sad, the Firelord completely helpless without me."

Laughing together, they began the long walk back to his room.


End file.
